A guide to the best indoor play centres in and around London from a mum of three who visits them often!
Indoor play areas, soft play centres, inflatable fun parks, whatever you call them they can be brilliant for rainy day fun or any day when you just need indoor fun in London.
Please introduce yourself…
Hello everybody I am Carlotta and I along with Carter, Logan and little Ainhoa are the beings behind @Centrallondonmum. We are all born and bred in Camden and it was after my first son, Carter, was born that I was determined to not lose my adventurous side. I started my page to show you that even though parenthood can be hard it is not and will never be the ‘be all and end all’ to life. So please follow us on our play and discovery adventures!
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Why does your family love going to indoor play centres?
Cards are on the table… we know the UK is not the warmest nor driest of countries but that doesn’t mean that my kids know that! So instead of pulling my hair out at home I loving heading to a place that is sheltered, clean, fun and safe to let the kids run wild and, dare I say, tire themselves out enough to let me do bedtime half an hour earlier! All amenities you need are in arm’s length and all under one roof.
What are your top 5 indoor play centres in and around London and why?
Get Wild!
The Galleria Outlet Shopping Centre, Hatfield
The best for the variety of play equipment on the frame and best themed. We love the theme, the variety of slides, and the different play equipment on the actually frames. You can climb little tree houses to actually get onto the play frame and the climb into moving bridge tunnels!! Definitely the best soft play for the slide lovers and ones with big imagination as it is themed so well. It is also complete with benches placed on AstroTurf where parents can sit down and have a Costa coffee… yep you heard me there is a Costa!!
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Inflatanation
Variety of Locations
The best for inflatable soft play. If you are tired of your bog standard soft play then I welcome you to the land of inflatables. Yes a whole inflatable assault course complete with slides that zoom you into ball pits, a mechanical elevating slide which starts flat and ends up mid-air allow you to slide down nearly vertically. This is the best if you are looking to switch it up and you do not want to end up in a trampoline park.
RELATED CONTENT > Best Adventure Playgrounds in London Picked by a Passionate Playworker
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Sutton Sports Village
Sutton, Surrey
The best when you want a last minute rainy day activity and you need to be able to book last minute. The trusty Better leisure centres are lifesavers when it comes to kids activities but this one in Sutton really does put the cherry ontop of the cake. A monster themed huge soft play with everything to mini trampolines included! This is the best if you want a soft play you can count on a last minute booking for a rainy day.
Nickelodeon Adventure
The Quay, Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex
The best for indoor theme park rides. Let’s face it the funfair or Blackpool pleasure beach is very un-inviting when it’s the middle of January and those gale force winds are blowing but my kids love anything character related and ride related. This is why you need to head to the indoor land of Nickelodeon. Complete with meet and greets with the likes of Paw Patrol and SpongeBob, rides and its very own slime café this is a necessity if you want a stand out day out especially in winter. We love this especially when we are wanting a nicer day out full of meet and greets from our faves and when we want rides but don’t want to fork out for the Merlin attractions.
Hobbledown
Epsom, Surrey
Hounslow, London
The best for an all-day family day out when you want a the best of both worlds. The mystical land of Hobbledown is such a great Adventure farm play park. It has almost like a wizardry vibe to it with beautifully themed play areas outside as well as inside! I would recommend heading here when you do not want to spend your whole day inside but want an indoor play area to allow the kids to run off in whilst you have a break from patrolling them on outside play equipment. They have amazing indoor water play areas, projection rooms and 2 soft play areas.
Hobbledown has two amazing locations, same vibe and both with excellent but different indoor play areas.
Be sure to follow @centrallondonmum for ideas for great days out in and around London.
